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American Robin Migration Update: March 1, 2005

Today's Report Includes:

Latest Migration Maps and Data
 
First Robins
Seen 		Waves
of Robins 		First Robins Heard Singing*

(Click to view data.) (Click to view data.) (Click to view data.)
*Recommended for mapping

Thanks to the many Journey North participants who have reported their sightings! Robins are appearing in more places, but no big push northward has occurred yet. (Even though the over-wintering robins are already spread across a large portion of their range, we're about to see huge masses of them move across the continent.) Where do you see robins this week where none were seen before? Do you see the clusters of dots are starting to move north as well as across the continent? As the robins move farther northward, we expect to see more WAVES (groups of 3 to hundreds) of robins in southern regions and more FIRST robins in the north. Waves of robins are on the move, delighting observers from Florida to Quebec:

  • Ardmore, OK (Feb. 23): ”For several days I have seen hundreds of Robins around our 7 acres. In the seven years we've lived here, this is the first time I have even noticed Robins.”
  • Claremore, OK (Feb. 15): “On the evening (6:00 PM) of 2/15/05 my wife and I saw between 700 and 1,000 Robins in a few yards (5 acres) at the same time.”
  • Saint-bernard-de-lacolle, Quebec, Canada (Feb. 13): “I saw a band of approximately 50 robins in the south of Quebec, with Saint-Bernard-of-Lacolle. The birds vocalize. Taking into account the soft temperature that we had during several days, they could be migrating hasty."
    je trouve une bande d'environ 50 merles dans le sud du Québec, à Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. Les oiseaux vocalisent. Compte tenu de la température douce que nous avons eue pendant plusieurs jours, il pourrait s'agir de migrateurs hâtifs.

Meanwhile, in a few places robins have begun to sing--a sure sign that they’ve arrived on their territory. In Virginia Beach, VA, a careful observers said, “I double checked the singing I heard outside in the woods with the recorded sounds from the website. They sounded identical to the song of the Robin.” (Nice going!)

How do you think recent temperatures affected the migration?
Departure of Average Temp. from Normal: Feb. 13-19, 2005
 Departure of Average Temp. from Normal: Feb. 20-26, 2005

Stacey Hamilton of Woodbine, GA took this robin photo on February 15. She has “quite a few robins" that come into her yard and hang out all day.

First Robin of Spring? SONG is the Key
“Robins were whinnying and singing,” came news from Vincennes, IN this week. “Although it was 22 degrees F, it felt like spring with the Robins singing.” Winter robins do plenty of calling and chattering. But when robins switch to their true song, the difference will be clear. "Song" will be the clearest pattern we expect to see as we track this spring's robin migration. Will you know the robin’s song when you hear it?

Here’s your chance to get tuned up for the robin migration. Five different robin vocalizations are listed below, each with its sound recording. Only the first is the true song, but all five sounds have their own meanings, says bird-vocalization expert Lang Elliott. While you wait for your robin to arrive, learn to recognize its true song. That's how you'll know YOUR robin has reached the end of its migration. Ready, set, listen:

  • The robin's true "song" is a territorial declaration.
  • The "peek" and "tut" calls are heard in alarm situations.
  • The "whinny" is heard in mildly alarming situations.
  • The high-pitched "Seeeee" call is given in response to the presence of an aerial predator.
  • The "Zeeeup" call is a contact note heard mainly during migration.
All Recordings Courtesy of Lang Elliott Nature Sound Studio

Song

"Peek" and "Tut" calls

"Whinny"

"Seeee" call

"Zeeup!" call


Discover more about what the robins are saying with our nifty Robin Dictionary:

Listen Up—and Name That Tune! Challenge Question #2
Here are five robin vocalizations you just heard, but now we’ve scrambled the order to stump you! Write down the numbers, then listen to the recordings. Write the name of each call and its meaning. If you answer this week’s all-important challenge question correctly, you'll be ready to track the migration!


Challenge Question #2:
"Which numbered vocalization will you hear when your robins are back on their breeding territory?"

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Announcing 2005 Northern Observation Posts (NOPs)
Eager observers are looking and listening for their first robins at the yellow stars on this map. It’s still early, but to ensure that the first robins to reach the end of the migration trail are properly noted and welcomed, Journey North has set up 20 Northern Observation Posts (NOPs). What's it like in the NOPs? Have any of the NOPs seen their first robin yet? Which NOP invites you to read their school's interviews of Iditerod mushers? Find out here:

Mitch Verrier in Shediac, NB, Canada says robins usually don’t usually appear until around the third week of March, so he was surprised at this early bird!
Sara Hepner in Sterling, AK hasn’t seen robins yet, but said, “The feeders in my yard had to come down again because they were attracting moose! It doesn't take long for a moose to empty a full feeder."
Tracking Robins to the End of the Trail: Making Predictions
Test your prediction skills about when robins will reach the end of their migration trail! Reading NOP comments and keeping an eye on the weather will help you make your predictions. We also have a lesson that explains how to use the climate information on the Plant Hardiness Zone map to make your predictions about "first robins" and "songs" for each of the NOPs.

Download our printable log sheet and start today! We’ll show actual data in each robin report this season so you can compare or revise your predictions:

Temperature and Robin Migration: Testing a Theory
Last time you thought about variables that affect when robins return. You know that right now many robins are in the north where the average temperature is still much colder than 36 degrees. But many ornithologists say that robins follow the 36- or 37-degree isotherm during migration. Isotherm means “same temperature.” The isotherm is an imaginary line that connects places having the same average temperatures. Compare isotherms of this time a year ago with last week's:
Average Temperature in United States
Week ending February 28, 2004 (left) compared with Week ending February 26, 2005 (right).

Photo Courtesy of NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
(No map available of entire continent.)

The isotherm migrates across the continent as temperatures warm in the springtime. Let’s test an age-old theory about robin migration by asking: Is it true that robins arrive when the isotherm reaches 36 degrees? This hands-on lesson includes an example that shows how to calculate the isotherm by averaging the daily temperatures over a period of time. Learn to do that for you region and you can test whether robins travel with the isotherm. Link to lesson:

Teacher Tip
If your robins are already back, students can still enjoy the challenge of figuring out whether the 36-degree isotherm applied to your area by going back to records of daily high and low temperatures. OR, you may wish to test the isotherm theory to see whether it applies to the appearance of earthworms in your area. You can also choose another location farther north and watch for correlations between the 36-degree isotherm and the arrival of robins in that geographic area.

Got Worms?
Robins won't be the only ones watching for earthworms. We want YOU to watch too. Please report migrating earthworms! Even though they only travel a few feet, earthworms undergo a "vertical" migration each spring after the ground thaws. If earthworms have wriggled to the surface where you live, please let us know. The first map appears on March 25. While you wait, dig into fun earthworm activities here:
Where, When, and How Many? Discussion of Challenge Question #1
Last time we asked you to look at photo studies and comments in order to answer: "What variables do you think affect where, when and how many robins you might see in the winter time?"

Kodiak M. (grade 2) listed “food, water and shelter because every single living thing needs those.” Gore said weather and food shortages would be the major variables. “As the weather starts to get warmer, more and more robins will be migrating north. Another major variable would be food supply and shortages. If there isn't enough food for the Robins they aren't going to return to that area, or at least not very many of them. A perfect example of this would be in Ontario; the lowest winter robin count ever was found because of wild food shortages.”

Good thinking! Besides temperature and food (the amount and kinds of fruits and berries being most important of all), did anyone think of these variables?
  • Whether and how much clean water there is. (Drinking water is essential for robins, so they are usually found where at least a trickle of open water is available.
  • Whether the ground is moist and soft for earthworms. (This is most important during migration, when robins switch their favorite food item from berries to worms. During winter many robins eat no worms at all.)
  • How many trees there are for nesting. (Robins don't nest in winter, but this is a very important issue in spring!)
  • How many other robins there are. (In winter when they associate with other robins in flocks, robins are often attracted by other robins.)
  • How many outdoor cats there are. (If robins don't notice these predators, they might hang around for a while--but that might be too long! To understand why, see this important page:

    • Cats Indoors

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Questions:

Please answer ONLY ONE question in EACH e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-robin@learner.org

2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #2 (OR #3).

3. In the body of EACH message, give your answer to ONE of the Questions aabove. (Thanks for including your name and town, too.)

The Next Robin Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 8*, 2005. (*Data only)

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Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to jn-help@learner.org
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